How my library card saved me from my printer
Published 1:30 am Thursday, October 15, 2026
My dad doesn’t understand how I live without a printer.
When the topic comes up, he usually stares at me for a moment, trying to decide whether I’m joking. To him, a printer is a household necessity. To me, it’s a machine designed to jam paper, flash mysterious error messages, and demand expensive ink cartridges at the worst possible moment. I’m convinced printers can sense deadlines.
So, I broke up with my printer years ago.
No more troubleshooting. No more ink runs. No more wondering why a document that printed perfectly yesterday refuses to print today. If you’ve ever seen “Office Space,” you understand the satisfaction of finally being done with a printer.
I come from a family that prints everything. My grandfather printed every email he received and filed away jokes for future use. My parents print recipes.
I went in a different direction: I got a library card.
Every Sno-Isle Libraries card comes with $7 in weekly printing credits, which means my library card doubles as a printer. I don’t print often, but there are times when I need a hard copy. Maybe it’s a school assignment, a shipping label, or coloring sheets for a rainy afternoon. And yes, you can print in color.
The library’s remote printing service lets me upload a document from home and pick it up at any library location. It takes just a few clicks. The printer and I maintain a healthy long-distance relationship.
If living without a printer sounds unusual, think again. Sno-Isle Libraries customers had more than 1.26 million print jobs in 2025. That’s a lot of homework assignments, résumés, shipping labels, and recipes. People still need to print. We just don’t need to maintain the printer.
For me, the biggest benefit of saying goodbye to my printer is never having to wonder whether the printer is going to cooperate when I need it.
My dad is still firmly Team Printer. But every time I upload a document, pick it up at the library, and walk away without buying ink, I feel pretty good about being Team Library.
My dad still thinks every home needs a printer.
I think every home needs a library card.
